RCPS announces 2023 Teacher of the Year finalists

CONYERS, GA– Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) recently announced the top three finalists for the district Teacher of the Year with surprise visits to finalists’ schools.

The district finalists for RCPS Teacher of the Year are: Jasmine Bethea—Edwards Middle School

Christi Davis-Langston—PhD, Flat Shoals Elementary Rosaida Hardaway, Rockdale Career Academy.

Each finalist received a surprise visit at their school by RCPS Superintendent Terry Oatts, Rockdale County Board of Education (BOE) Chairwoman Pam Brown, BOE members Sandra Jackson-Lett, Akita Parmer, cabinet members and staf, who commended the finalists.

“As Superintendent of Rockdale County Public Schools, I am delighted to honor this year’s finalists for district Teacher of the Year. I congratulate all three,” said Superintendent Oatts.

Each school-level Teacher of the Year is chosen by their peers as an educator who exemplifies the highest levels of their profession and goes above and beyond for their students, colleagues and community. The three district finalists are chosen out of the school-level Teachers of the Year. The RCPS Teacher of the Year Celebration will be held Sept. 26, where all school-level Teachers of the Year will be honored and the district winner will be named.

Jasmine Bethea – Edwards Middle School

Jasmine Bethea has been teaching for seven years, all at Edwards Middle School where she once was a student herself. She is a Learning Support teacher and special education department chair, building leadership team chair, and is also the EMS Outstanding Technology Teacher of the Year.

In her spare time, Bethea enjoys yoga, Pilates, reading, music, listening to podcasts and audiobooks. She is a dog mom to her Shih Tzu and is active in her sorority, with the NAACP, community service projects, and with her church. Her mom works at EMS as well, so her school really is like another home and her students are like family.

Bethea’s professional motto is to strive for progress, not perfection, so when her students achieve their goals, it makes all the hard work worth it.

Christi Davis-Langston, PhD – Flat Shoals Elementary

Christi Davis-Langston, PhD,  is a fifth-grade teacher at Flat Shoals Elementary. She has been teaching for 24 years and is in her second year of teaching fifth grade.

Langston loves traveling with family and friends, playing kick ball, reading, experimenting with new recipes and playing with her dog, Cookie True Langston. She and her husband of 16 years have two daughters and two grandchildren. She is deeply connected to her community through service projects, charity organizations, sports volunteering and church ministry. Her most rewarding and enriching experience was when she had the opportunity to teach English abroad. She said it was an incredible way to immerse herself in the culture and teach English to students and faculty.

Rosaida Hardaway – Rockdale Career Academy

Rosaida Hardaway has been teaching for seven years as the healthcare pathway instructor and HOSA (Future Health Professionals, formerly the Health Occupations Students of America) advisor at Rockdale Career Academy.

Hardaway enjoys spending time with family and trying new foods. She and her husband of 22 years have two sons, ages 15 and 20. She has a great partnership with Piedmont Rockdale, which gives her students experience working in a hospital and helping with community service events. She says it is most rewarding when former students return and share how much she has helped them and prepared them for college. One of her former students recently asked if she would attend her nursing pinning ceremony.

Hardaway continues to work part time as a surgical technologist with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta so she can stay up-to-date on healthcare skills to ensure her students are learning the skills they need to be successful.